Energy Minister

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT ENERGY MINISTER - PAGE 4

Orissa is facing power crisis this summer largely due to drastic fall in rains which resulted in the shortfall of 2000 million units from hydro power plants according to minister of state for energy, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak . Replying to an adjournment motion, Mr Nayak admitted in the Assembly that the State was witnessing shortage of power as availability of electricity has not kept pace with the demand. Water could not conserve in multipurpose dams in 2009-10 as the year witnessed 30 to 35% fall in rains.

ISLAMABAD: Ahead of the SAARC Summit to be held in Dhaka in November, the regional grouping's energy ministers would hold a two-day meet here beginning next month to discuss the progress on a host of initiatives, including proposal to form SAARC Energy Ring. A two-day meeting of SAARC energy experts will be held prior to the ministers' meeting on September 29 and 30 to decide the agenda of the ministerial meeting, a Pakistan official was quoted as saying. He said projects concerning cooperation in the energy trade, independent power producers, standards of efficiency, fuel efficiency for road transport and CNG, rural electrification, micro-hydro electric and wind energy plants will be discussed in the meeting.

NEW DELHI: Pakistan was conspicuously absent from a SAARC energy ministers' meeting here today, where discussions took place on an integrated power transmission grid between India and its neighbouring countries. Pakistan was absent from the meet against the backdrop of its ceasefire violations at the border. "This invitation is given by the Secretary General SAARC, it is not our invitation. We are the host country. Secretary General must have invited Pakistan," Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters when asked about representation from Pakistan.

ATHENS: Greece will not go ahead with privatising its dominant electricity utility PPC or power grid operator ADMIE, Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis said, despite promising its creditors not to halt sales that are underway. Lafazanis's comments appeared to mark the first sign of open dissent from a minister on the far left flank of the new Greek government over a deal with the euro zone to extend the country's bailout programme. The Public Power Corporation has already launched a tender to sell a 66 per cent stake in its power grid operator ADMIE, and several investors including state Grid Corporation of China ( SGCC )

NAGPUR: The Maharashtra Energy Department will make all efforts to minimise transmission losses and improve power generation to make it available at reasonable rates to consumers, state Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said today. The transmission lines are old, in bad condition and quite lengthy which need to be curtailed to avoid power failure in villages, Bawankule, who was on Friday inducted as Cabinet Minister in the state government , told reporters here.

BANGALORE: Former Energy Minister and BJP strongman B S Yeddyurappa's close confidante Shobha Karandlaje belongs to the crorepati club of Karnataka as she has declared assets worth over Rs seven crore while filing her nomination for Udupi-Chikamagalur Lok Sabha seat . Karandlaje declared in her affidavit that she has movable property worth Rs 5,19,89,452 and immovable property worth Rs 2.10 crore. She has one kg of gold worth Rs 27 lakh at current market value. Her other jewellery assets include gold ornaments weighing 650 grams, silver ornaments and utensils weighing 1,400 grams, valued at Rs 10 lakh, the affidavit said.

MELBOURNE: External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today pressed Australia to reverse its policy of not selling uranium to India. Krishna, who arrived here today on a three-day visit, met Minister for Energy, Resources and Tourism Martin Ferguson and raised the issue of uranium supply to India. He asked Ferguson to reverse the Australian government's policy of not selling uranium to countries which have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty . Krishna was accompanied by Indian High Commissioner Sujata Singh and Secretary (East)

NEW DELHI: The Government is considering use of solar energy to tide over power deficiency impeding installation of mobile phone towers in tribal and hilly areas, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. "We have to solarise the mobile towers," Minister of State of IT and Telecommunication Sachin Pilot said during Question Hour. He said power shortage in some states was impeding installation of these towers there and added that government was looking at various options, including public private partnership, to make up for the deficiency.

NEW DELHI: The Power Ministry has convened a meeting of state energy ministers on February 5 primarily to seek their support for its financial restructuring plan to bailout ailing electricity distribution companies. "They (states) have been called on February 5 to participate in the government's initiative of providing a financial restructuring package for their discoms," a Power Ministry official said, adding that Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia would chair the meeting.

NEW DELHI: Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will meet state energy ministers tomorrow to deliberate on better and speedy implementation of the financial restructuring plan to bailout ailing electricity distribution companies. Last year, the Union government announced restructuring the Rs 1.9 lakh crore debt (as on March 31, 2011) of nearly-bankrupt power distribution companies in an attempt to improve their financial health. According to the proposal, 50 per cent of the outstanding liabilities of the discoms would be taken over by the states.